This is one of the earliest paintings I have done of this particular harbor view, looking east across the lake, in this case as seen from the shoreline located near the north end of the Boathouse.
The Boathouse is one of my favorite locations at Silver Bay, a conference and retreat center located on Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. For years now, in varying weather conditions and times of day I have enjoyed the surrounding views of the lake, the harbor, and distant shore as seen from the upper and lower Boathouse deck levels, and the nearby boat docks and shorelines.
When out for a walk, I saw this morning setting, and later that same afternoon made the drawing on a half-sheet of watercolor paper in preparation to start the painting the following morning. Shortly after breakfast on the next day, I went down to the lake with my watercolor gear and set-up to paint. I began by placing the half-sheet paper into the lake to evenly soak which would prepare the paper surface so that I could begin the wet-in-wet placement of the first watercolor washes of the sky, distant mountain, and reflections in the lake water. I then continued to layer the successive colors and details, and enjoyed the beauty of the lake and the simple pleasure of being there.